Long standing relationship between Kenya, Japan has borne many fruits

Eliud Kipchoge and Rita Kavashe MD, Isuzu East Africa exchanged documents after signing a new two-year contract with Isuzu East Africa as a Brand Ambassador for the Isuzu D-Max Pick up. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

In any diplomat's career, certain events stand out as highlights that are an honour and a privilege to participate in. One such event is when your country marks an important anniversary in its relationship with a host nation. It is a great pleasure as the 20th ambassador of Japan to Kenya to note that this year, 2023, marks the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Kenya and Japan.

In 1963, Kenya was a very different place from what it is now. And so was Japan. In the case of my country, we had just begun to get over the devastation of the Second World War and embark on what economists refer to as the "Japanese economic miracle" (1960s to 1980s). This period of rapid economic growth saw Japan rise from economic ruin to become the world's second-largest economy. As Japan prospered, it extended support to countries in Asia and Africa in need of development assistance.